Refrigerator



Feb. 13, 1934. J. M. SCHILLING Er AL 1,946,593

REFRIGERATOR Filed'May 6. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l 24 J 5 V //v l/E/VT'OES (JOHN M, SCH/LL/NGA/VD d7} (j WILLARD G. SCH/LL/NG WWMEM ATTORNEY 1934- J. M. SCHILLING ET AL 5 REFRIGERATOR Filed May 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 {o 0 o (5 3%. j j 1 6 j I 19 /j\ JOHN M. JcH/LL/NG AM WILLARD 6. SCH/LLING ,4TT0ENEY Patented Feb. 13, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

Our invention relates to an improved construction of refrigerator for cooling bottled soft drinks, characterized particularly by the construction and relation of the parts by which the structure may be knocked down; for: shipping purposes. Our improved construction also greatly facilitates the assembling of. the refrigerator.

Our construction consists of a box portion which may or may not be used with a stand portion as desired, the box portion being readily separable from the stand portion, and readily mounted thereon as may be required, without changing the assembly of the box portion. Furthermore, by our construction, the box portion consists of a. metal tank: for: holding the liquid, separate. slabs of insulating material for insulating the tank, and parts for holding the slabs and tank in assembled relation for use, so that the parts may be quickly and readily assembled and with equal facility taken apart if required, to repair or renew any'of the parts.

Our invention will best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, showing a preferred embodiment thereof, in which Fig. 1 illustrates our refrigerator in perspective view, with the box portion mounted on. the stand portion,

Fig. 2' is a sectional view to an enlarged scale of the box portion shown in 'Fig. 1 taken along the line 2.-2,

Fig. 3' is a sectional: view of a portion of the stand shown in Fig. 1 taken along the line 33',

Fig. 4 is a view'of the component parts of the box portion in separated relation, before the box portion is assembled,

Fig. 5' is a plan View of theshelf of the refrigerator stand,

Fig. 6 is an end view of the shelf shown in Fig. 5, and

Fig. 7 is a vertical; sectional view of the tank supporting frame taken along the line 22 in Fig. 1, and illustrates the housing of the shelf in a recess in the lower portion of the frame for shipping purposes.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

As shown in Fig. 1, our refrigerator consists generally of a box portion A and a stand B, secured together by screws 10 and 10a as indicated. When it is desired to use the box portion without using the stand, the screws are removed, one corner after another, the stand is separated at that corner and the screws replaced, and so on until the box portion iscompletely separated from the standportion, the structurean'dassembly ofthe box portion remaining unchanged during its separation from the stand and during its attachment to the stand, if it is subsequently desired to use the same.

The box portion of our refrigerator consists of 01 vertical corner members 11 consisting of metal angle bars, which are rigidly secured at their upper ends for example by spot welding, with a continuous channel member 12 opening downwardly. A hinged cover 13 rests loosely on the 551 channel member 12' to provide convenient access to the box portion. The lower ends of the angle bars 11 are connected by the screws 10 and 1011 with a continuous metal band 14, preferably of T-shaped cross section, to hold the bottom, the 7 side walls and the end walls of the box portion'A,

in proper relation to each other.

As more clearly shown in Fig. 2, the band 14 is preferably formed by folding sheet metal so that its lower portion is of double thickness and 7 from the inner thickness, 2. flange 15 projects inwardly from all sides of' the band 14', to form the stem of the T. The flange 15' supports a bottom slab 16 of insulating material, on which a metal tank 1'7 is in turn supported. The tank 17 is surrounded on its sides and ends by vertical slabs of insulating material as shown at 18', it being understood that the structure of each sideand each end of the box portion is the same as illustrated in Fig. 2; Outside of the vertical insulating slabs 18, vertical sheets of metal are supported as shown at 19, the lower edges of these metal sheets preferably resting on the flanges 15, just inside of the upper portion of the band 14. The upper portions of the tank 17, the insulating slabs 18 and the metal sheets 19, are disposed in the channel member 12 which is preferably of metal, the proportions of the parts being such that the channel member 12'holds the insulating slabs 18 closely adjacent the sides and ends of the tank 17 and also holds the metal sheets 19- closely adjacent the outer surfaces of the insulating slabs 18. The angle bars 11 as stated, and as illustrated in Fig. 2, are rigidly securedto'the channel member 12, for example by spot welding as indicated at 20', so that the channel member 12' and the four angle bars 11 constitute a permanent assembly. With the parts in the relation described, it will be observed that the screws 10 and 10a, which pass through the lower ends of the vertical angle bars 11, hold the parts of the box portion in assembled relation, and that the weight of the box portion, with the exception of the channel-member 12 and the cover 13, is carried-directlybythe flanges 15;

around the then upper edges of the metal sheets The stand portion B of our refrigerator consists of legs 21 secured adjacent their lower ends to a shelf 22 by screws 23, which screws may be readily removed to separate the legs from the shelf when desired, and may as readily be inserted when it is desired to secure the legs to the shelf. When the box portion is in placeon the stand, each of the legs 21 rests against the inner surface of the lower portion of the band 14 against one of the corners of the band, with the upper end of the leg in engagement with the lower surface of the flanges 15, as illustrated in Fig. 2 in which position the leg is securely held by the screws 10, 10a. In this manner, the entire weight of the box portion of the refrigerator is carried directly by the upper end surfaces of the legs 21, and none of this weight is carried by the screws 10, 10a.

As shown in Fig. 3, the screws 23 extend through the lower ends of the legs 21, the flange extending outwardly from the outer edge of the shelf 22, and blocks 24 constituting the supports for castors 25. As a result of this construction, when the screws 23 are removed to separate the legs 21 from the shelf 22, the castors are separated from the rest of the structure, and in this condition, the legs 21 are separately wrapped and the castors and legs are placed inside of the box portion for shipping purposes.

In Fig. 4 we illustrate the parts of, the box por- :tion in disassembled relation, prior to assembling -11 extending upwardly from said channel member. The upper edge of the tank 1'7 in inverted condition, is placed in the channel member 12, the end and side slabs 18 of insulating material are placed in the channel member 12 around they :tank 17, then the metal sheets 19 are placed with 'their edges in the channel member 12 and inside of the flanges of the angle bars 11, then the bottom slab 16 of insulating material is put in place on the tank and on the then upper edges of the vertical slabs 18, and then the band 14 is put in place 19 and inside of the vertical angle bars 11, so that the holes in the band 14 register with the holes in the projecting ends of the angle bars 11, and then the screws 10, 10a may be put in place to hold the parts in their assembled relation. For shipping purposes, where it is not certain whether the stand portion B will be used or not, we find it suificient to use the screws 10a to hold the'box portion in assembled relation, simply as the box portion described simplifies and cheap- "ens the assembling of the said box portion, and

this feature of the knock down construction is used, where it is found necessary or desirable to-repair or replace a part or parts of the box portion. The metal sheets 19 are employed pri- "marily to give a finished appearance to the sides and ends of the box portion, although if desired, display or advertising matter may be carried by the outer surfaces of these sheets, and where this :is done, and for any reason it is desired to change the display or advertising matter, the metal sheets may readily be removed and others substituted therefor, by inverting the box portion of the refrigerator and removing the band 14 there- -from by first removing the screws 10, 10a, and

after inserting the new metal sheets 19, the band portion is replaced in the manner described.

The shelf 22, as more clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6, is preferably formed from sheet metal with openings 26 extending across it to lighten it, stiffening ridges 27 being preferably formed from the sheet as indicated. The shelf is purposely made of a size so that for shipping purposes, it may be contained in inverted condition, within the band 14 outside of the flanges l5, asillustrated in Fig. 7 so that the entire structure may occupy a minimum of bulk, which is an advantage in securing favorable shipping classification. To facilitate this, with the screws 10a in place, each corner of the flange of the shelf is preferably out out as indicated at 28 in Fig. 6, to clear the nut on the corresponding screw 10a, the location of the screws 23 being sufliciently different from the location of the screws 10 and 10a to permit this without interfering with the holes through the flanges of the shelf 22, provided to receive the screws 23. While the openings 26 in theshelf 22 are desirable from the standpoint of making the shelf as light as possible, we find that they may readily be pro portioned and made of such a size, that the pieces punched from the sheet metal of whichthe shelf is made, in making said openings, are of the right size and shape to constitute the blanks for making the legs 21, and in this way the amount of sheet metal required in making the parts is considerably reduced. The reinforcing ridges 2'? are desirable, to make the shelf strong enough to support cases of bottles of soft drinks, where it is desired to have a reserve supply convenient to the box portion of the refrigerator, and in such cases, the ridges 27 further facilitate sliding the cases of bottles on the shelf 22.

While we have shown our invention in the particular embodiment above described, it will be understood that we do not limit ourselves to this exact construction as we may employ equivalents known to the art at the time of the filing of this application without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is: r

1. In a refrigerator construction, the combination of a first rectangular metal frame of channel cross-section, corner angle bars of metal secured permanently at their upper ends to the corners of said frame and extending downwardly therefrom, the channel of said frame opening in the direction of extension of said angle bars, a metal tank having its open upper edge in the channel of said frame, separate slabs of insulating material covering the outer side andend surfaces of said tank with their upper edges in the channel of said frame, plates of sheet metal covering said slabs with their upper edges in the channel of said frame and extending at their lower edges below said slabs, a bottom slab of insulating material under the bottom outer surface of said tank and under the adjacent edges of said side and end slabs, a second rectangular metal frame of T- cross-section having its stem extending inwardly to form supporting flanges, said frame engaging-the inner surfaces of the other ends of said angle bars with said flanges adjacent the bottom surface of said bottom slab and the bottom edges of said plates to support them, angle bar legs of metal having theirupper ends inside of said second frame at its corners with their end surfaces engaging said flanges, first screws extending through the lower ends of said angle bars, said second frame and the upper ends of said legs to hold said parts together and detach them-fromeach other as desired, a rectangular shelf between the lower ends of said legs, and second screws extending through said shelf and said legs to hold said parts together and detach them from each other as desired, whereby said shelf and said legs may be separated from each other therefrom, the channel of said frame opening in.

the direction of extension of said angle bars, a metal tank having its open upper edge in the channel of said frame, separate slabs of insulating material covering the outer side and end surfaces of said tank with their upper edges in the channel of said frame, plates of sheet metal covering said slabs with their upper edges in the channel of said frame and extending at their lower edges below said slabs, a bottom slab of insulating material under the bottom outer surface of said tank and under the adjacent edges of said side and end slabs, a second rectangular metal frame of T cross-section having its stem extending inwardly to form supporting flanges, said frame engaging the inner surfaces of the other ends of said angle bars with said flanges adjacent the bottom surface of said bottom slab and the bottom edges of said plates to support them, angle bar legs of metal having their upper ends inside of said second frame at its corners with their end surfaces engaging said flanges, first screws extending through the lower ends of said angle bars, said second frame and the upper ends of said legs to hold said parts together and detach them from each other as desired, a rectangular shelf between the lower ends of said legs, second screws extending through said shelf and said legs to hold said parts together and detach them from each other as desired, whereby said shelf and said legs may be separated from each other and from the remaining parts of the structure for shipping purposes, and castor supporting blocks at the corners of said shelf, said second screws also extending through said blocks.

3. In a refrigerator construction, the combination of a first rectangular metal frame of channel cross-section, corner angle bars of metal secured permanently at their upper ends to the corners of said frame and extending downwardly therefrom, the channel of said frame opening in the direction of extension of said angle bars, a metal tank having its open upper edge in the channel of said frame, separate slabs of insulating material covering the outer side and end surfaces of said tank with their upper edges in the channel of said frame, plates of sheet metal covering said slabs with their upper edges in the channel of said frame and extending at their lower edges below said slabs, a bottom slab of insulating material under the bottom outer surface of said tank and under the adjacent edges of said side and end slabs, a second rectangular metal frame of T cross-section having its stem extending inwardly to form supporting flanges, said frame engaging the inner surfaces of the other ends of said angle bars with said flanges adjacent the bottom surface of said bottom slab and the bottom edges of said plates to -support them, angle bar legs of metal having their-upper ends inside of said second frame at its corners with their end surfaces engaging said flanges, and screws extending through the lower ends of said angle bars, said second frame and the upper ends of said legs to hold said parts together and detach them from each other as desired.

4. In a refrigerator construction, the combination of a first rectangular channel frame, corner bars extending downwardly from said first frame, a tank, insulating slabs and metal plates having their upper edges loosely assembled in the channel of said first frame, a second rectangular frame holding the parts in assembled relation, screws extending through said bars and said second frame, whereby inserting said screws completes the assembly of said parts and removing said screws places said parts in condition for disassembly, legs detachably connected with said second frame, and a rectangular shelf detachably connected with said legs, said second frame having flanges extending downwardly from its four outer edges, the spacing longitudinally and laterally between the inner surfaces of said flanges being greater respectively than the overall length and breadth of said shelf, whereby said shelf may be contained between said flanges for shipping purposes.

5. In a refrigerator construction, the combination of a first rectangular channel frame, corner bars extending downwardly from said first frame, a tank and insulating slabs having their upper edges loosely assembled in the channel of said first frame, a second rectangular frame holding the parts in assembled relation, screws extending through said bars and said second frame, whereby inserting said screws completes the assembly of said parts and removing said screws places said parts in condition for disassembly, legs detachably connected with said second frame, and a rectangular shelf detachably connected with said legs, said second frame having flanges extending downwardly from its four outer edges, the spacing longitudinally and laterally between the inner surfaces of said flanges being greater. respectively than the over-all length and breadth of said shelf, whereby said shelf may be contained between said flanges for shipping purposes.

6. In a refrigerator construction, the combination of a rectangular box portion and a stand, said stand comprising legs and a rectangular shelf detachably connected with said legs, and screws detachably connecting said legs with said box portion, said box portion having flanges extending downwardly from its four outer edges, the spacing longitudinally and laterally between the inner surfaces of said flanges being greater respectively than the over-all length and breadth of said shelf, whereby said shelf may be contained between said flanges for shipping purposes.

7. A supporting framework for refrigerators of the class described, consisting of a first unitary rectangular metal frame of channel cross-section opening downwardly, metal corner bars permanently secured at their upper ends to said first frame, a second unitary rectangular metal frame of T-shaped cross-section at the lower ends of said corner bars and having its stem extending inwardly, said corner bars being outside of said second frame, metal legs having their upper ends inside of the lower portion of said second frame and butting against the lower surface of the stem of said second frame, and screws extending through said legs, said second frame and said corner bars by which the parts may be assembled and disassembled.

8. A supporting framework for refrigerators of the class described, consisting of a first unitary rectangular metal frame of channel cross-section opening downwardly, metal corner bars permanently secured at their upper ends to said first frame, a second unitary rectangular metal frame of T-shaped cross-section at the lower ends of said corner bars and having its stem extending inwardly, said corner bars being outside of said second frame, metal legs having their upper ends inside of the lower portion of said second frame and butting against the lower surface of the stem of said second frame, and screws extending through said legs, said second frame and said corner bars by which the parts may be assembled and disassembled, said second frame comprising sheet metal extending vertically to constitute its flanges, then extending upwardly inside of its lower flange and then extending inwardly to constitute its stem.

9. In a refrigerator construction, the combination of a rectangular box portion having a lower supporting frame of metal provided with first flanges extending inwardly and second flanges extending downwardly, metal legs having their upper ends inside of said second flanges and butting against the lower surfaces of said first flanges, and removable fastening devices securing said legs to said frame, whereby the parts may be assembled and disassembled.

JOHN M. SCHILLING. WILLARD G. SCHILLINGL 

